HARP
by Artsysmiles
Summary: Sasuke, can you ride a horse?" he shook his head no. "Then this will be fun." Welcome to H.A.R.P. You're in Hell now. SasuXSaku
1. Chapter 1

**_Disclaimer: I, Artsysmiles, do not own Naruto, or the Phantom Stallion, of which this is based off of. But, unknown to practically everyone, I do own Itachi! ...Yeah, I was kidding. That is all. Or is it? No, seriously. That is all._**

**_Well, this is it! My 7th fanfic! I hope you all like it! But of you don't like western themed stories, then you might want to click the back button. Also, if you are wondering why I suddenly wanted to write a western Naruto fic, my dad and brothers were having a Daniel Boone, Comanche Moon, and other western themed shows week while I was reading Naruto. So, yeah. Now, enjoy!_**

**_I think it's evident that I don't own any music used throughout this fic._**

Onyx eyes blinked at the dusty terrain. A scowl worked its way onto the teen's face.

"This is it?" he said with disgust. Kakashi frowned and nodded, pulling out an Icha Icha Paradise book all the while. "There's just dust!"

"Yeah. You're in a desert, on a ranch. There's gonna be dust. What were you expecting? A five star hotel?" asked Kakashi, absentmindedly turning a page in his book. The scowling teen glared at the ground as he silently admitted yes. "Wow. Well, Sasuke, let's go meet the ranchers who you'll be living with the next few months."

"Whatever."

* * *

Music could be heard from a distance. Yet again, Sasuke frowned. He wasn't a big fan of pop music. 

_I'm talkin bout love_

_All my girls stand in a circle and clap your hands this is for you_

_Ups and downs highs and lows no matter what you see me through_

_My boyfriend he don't answer on the telephone_

_I don't even know where the hell he goes_

_But all my girls we're in a circle and nobody's gonna break through_

"Sakura! Are you in there?" called Kakashi. The music switched off, and a loud yes was heard echoing back to the two males. "Sasuke, that was Sakura, Tsunadae's niece. They were kind enough to take you in after military school didn't work."

Sasuke smirked. "Hn," he said happily. Those were the days. "So, now what?" There was an edge to his voice, one of anger, annoyance, and boredom.

"You could meet Sakura and Tsunadae." Sasuke waited. Another page was turned, followed by a giggle.

"Hn?"

Kakashi looked up from his book, confusion on his face. "Oh! Right!" he said sheepishly. "Sakura! Tsunadae! The perp wants to meet you!" Sasuke sweat dropped. Perp?

The crunching of gravel brought him out of his thoughts as he saw a very busty blonde woman; she looked fairly young but looks can be deceiving.

"This him?" she growled, obviously annoyed. Kakashi nodded as the woman got a closer look at Sasuke. "He needs to earn his keep. If this young," she paused, doing a quick once over, "boy wants to leave here as quickly as I want him to, then he better learn how to and quick."

Sasuke kept his mask in place, but inside he was furious. Of course he wanted to leave! Who wouldn't?

"So Sakura will show him the ropes?" asked Kakashi, bringing Sasuke back to the conversation.

"Yep. OI! SAKURA! GET YOUR LAZY ASS OVER HERE!" bellowed Tsunadae. She didn't receive a reply, but a young, pink haired girl approached the three.

She wore faded blue jeans, a brown stetson, and a white camisole under a red checkered shirt.

"What?" she said. Tsunadae gestured to Sasuke and Kakashi. "Oh, right. Another member to H.A.R.P., right?" Tsunadae nodded.

"As I'm sure you know, this is Sasuke, your client; I'm Kakashi, I'll be staying with Jiraiya," said Kakashi. Sasuke just stared straight ahead, avoiding making eye contact with the two women. "Can Sakura show him to his room?"

"Yeah," she said. "Come on chicken butt." Sasuke bristeled, but left to follow her anyway. They made it about three steps when Sakura turned to face him. "Where's your luggage?" she asked. Sasuke pointed to where Kakashi and Tsunadae were, and Sakura sighed.

"What?" he asked, clearly annoyed at being thought so little of.

"Sasuke, here at Hime's Ranch, we all earn our keep. That means that we all do our fair share of the work." She spoke slowly, as though he were a first grader.

"I know what that means." Again she sighed.

"Then go get your bags." Sasuke started to go back to Kakashi when Sakura called to him. "Have you ever ridden a horse before?" she asked. He shook his head no. An evil smile appeared on her face.

"Well then. This should be fun."

* * *

Sakura led him to a bunkhouse, the kind where ranch hands lived. Sasuke crinkled his nose in disgust, but knew better than two say anything. 

"You'll be staying here with the other H.A.R.P. members." She opened a door to a room that held two other boys. "The blonde one is Uzumaki Naruto, and the pinnaple head one is Nara Shikamaru," she said.

"Hn."

"Guys, this is Uchiha Sasuke. Make him feel welcome." Sakura smirked and walked away, her long pink hair swaying silently.

Cerulean eyes met onyx ones as Naruto prepared to make the first move.

"What are you in here for?" he asked.

"Shoplifting, fights, and weapon possession," he said simply. "What about you?"

"I have anger problems. Beat up my teacher a couple times. Shikamaru-he goes to my school-is in here for master thievery," said Naruto as though he was telling the weather.

"...Why would they send him here? Couldn't he just design a way to escape?" asked Sasuke. Naruto laughted, and said something about Sasuke being so naive.

"I forgot! You're new here, so you haven't seen Sakura or Tsunadae mad, have you?" laughed Naruto. Sasuke shook his head, causing Naruto to laugh even more.

"Shut up, baka," growled Sasuke. Instantly the laughter stopped.

"What. Did. You. Call. Me?" he said slowly.

"You heard me: baka," smirked Sasuke.

"AARGH!"

Naruto charged at Sasuke, punching him in the face with his fist. Sasuke countered with a fist of his own, and pretty soon they were in an all out fist fight.

**Crash!**

"Care to tell me what is going on in here?" The boys stopped fighting to see Sakura glaring at them. Naruto stopped attacking Sasuke and backed up against the wall.

"We were fighting, duh," smirked Sasuke. "And you're just a girl. What are you going to do about it?" a vein appeared on Sakura's head, causing Naruto to grab Shikamaru and run out the door.

"This."

* * *

"Is it over?" asked Naruto. Shikamaru was standing next to him, muttering something about women being troublesome.

"Yep. Supper will be ready in an hour!" said Sakura cheerfully. The two walked in to find a battered and bruised Sasuke lying on the gorund.

"You could have warned me," he growled. Naruto leaned down till his face was just inches away from Sasuke's.

"I did. Welcome to H.A.R.P. You're in Hell now."

**_End of the first chapter! I hope you all liked it! But, before I update again-no you don't need to review a certain amount-I need to update Chemistry and Celestial Maiden. See you next update! _**


	2. Chapter 2

**_I, Artsysmiles, do not own Naruto! Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange? A world where I own Naruto! Wow. That is really creepy. That is all._**

**_Well, sniff, I actually am surprised. I really wasn't sure if anyone would review this. Waaaahhhhh! I feel so special! Also, did you know that this is one of the few SasuXSaku western romances out there? Pretty cool, huh? Now, here's HARP!_**

Naruto's words echoed in his head. _Welcome to H.A.R.P. You're in Hell now. _If anything, Sasuke was not going to be sleeping well tonight. Sasuke's eyes scanned the room he just walked into. Naruto was engaged in a fierce rock paper scissors battle with Shikamaru, who believed it was too "troublesome" to be awake.

"What's Sakura's problem?" asked Sasuke, breaking the silence of the room. Naruto gave him a confused look, and Shikamaru sighed.

"What problem?" asked the blonde. Sasuke glared at Naruto until he finally understood what Sasuke was implying. "Oh! She doesn't have a problem, none at all!"

"Hn." Sasuke had a disbelieving look on his face at the blonde's statement. "Sure."

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru. "Come on. Supper's in a few minutes, so we might as well head over." The boys rose, and began the silent trek towards Tsunade's house.

* * *

"Ne, Tsunade, remind me again why we decided to house misguided teens," sighed Sakura, obviously annoyed. Tsunade huffed angrily, but still answered Sakura's question. 

"First of all, this was not my idea. Secondly, Sarutobi said it would get me out of gambling debt," the blonde woman said sheepishly. Sakura stiffled a giggle, and drew Tsunade's attention to herself. "Go change. Shizune is coming over, and I'd prefer it if you were dressed in nicer clothing."

"Fine!" snapped the girl as she trudged up the stairs to her bedroom. "Damn boys! Making me give up my free time to help them! Pfft! Like any of them would do the same for me!" Sakura grumbled all the way to her room, failing to notice the boys enter the house. Tsunade's amber eyes roamed over their bodies, as though making sure they were allowed into her home.

"Wipe your feet!" she snarled before the boys could track in anymore mud.

"Yes, Tsunade-san," droned Shikamaru and Naruto. A typical "Hn" came from Sasuke. "Hey, baa-chan, where do we sit?" asked Naruto, seeing as there were only two places set for dinner.

"Oh, yes. You see..."

* * *

"Troublesome," grumbled Shikamaru as he poked his potatoes. Naruto had a happy look plastered on his idiotic face, and Sasuke stared at the road, wishing for a car to come and take him away. However, one of the tablemates was extremely unhappy. 

"DAMMIT! I THOUGHT I WAS EATING WITH YOU!" roared Sakura. Tsunade laughed, and walked back inside with Shizune. "Dumb blonde," she muttered, obviously pissed at being sandwiched in between Naruto and Sasuke.

"What?" snapped Naruto, anger rising from the dumb blonde comment. Sakura sent a glare his way, and insatntly all chatter stopped.

A nicker could be heard from the corral by the barn, causing Sakura to glance in it's direction. Her eyebrows furrowed as she saw a young gelding trying to break open the corral lock. Silently, she rose to calm the horse, leaving an upset Naruto.

"Hey, hey teme! Do you think Sakura likes me?" stage whispered Naruto, cerulean eyes glued to the female's back. Sasuke shook his head, and a sad sigh rose from Naruto's mouth. "Maybe she'll like me better later."

"Whatever dobe," muttered Sasuke as he continued to stare at the road, wishing for a way home.

* * *

"OI! GET UP!" barked Sakura. Sasuke groaned and glanced at the clock on the bunkhouse wall; it read 4:00 a.m. 

"What the hell?"

"HEY! I TOLD YOU TO GET UP! Naruto and Shikamaru are already outside ready for their lesson, and I'm the one stuck waking you up," growled Sakura, an angry glare on her face. Sasuke matched it with one of his own, causing Sakura to blink back in surprise.

"I'll work when I'm ready," he mumbled as he pulled the blanket over his head.

"Fine. You win," sighed the female as she walked from the room. _Finally!_ thought Sasuke.

"YEOW!" he shrieked seconds later as icy cold water engulfed his body. He jumped from bed and was face to face with a sullen Sakura.

"When I say get up, get up." And with that, she left, pink pony tail blowing in her angered walk.

**_That's it for chapter two! Kinda slow, but I'll have more interesting things later, promise. Now, I'll be updating Celestial Maiden, and then Chemistry, and finally HARP. Oh, and HARP stands for Horse And Rider Program. Just so you know. Now, review!_**


	3. Chapter 3

**_I, Artsysmiles, do own Naruto. _ZAP! _OWOWOW! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!?!_ You were breaking your probation by lying. ZAP! _OWOWOW! Fine. I don't own Naruto. That is all._**

**_Well, another chapter is making it's way at you! Here is chapter 3 of HARP! I think you'll like this one!_**

Sasuke blinked wearily as the sun met his squinted onyx eyes. One of these days he was seriously ging to kill Sakura; no normal human being would be up this early. He rubbed his eyes in a child-like manner, and wandered over to the group where Sakura was explaining the morning routine.

"...And so, Naruto will be coming with me to check on the horses while Shikamaru feeds the chickens. Sasuke, you can work with Tsunade in the kitchen. I figured since you're new here you could use the easy job," Sakura said in her baby voice. Naruto snickered, and even Shikamaru cracked a smile.

"Hn," muttered Sasuke as he walked in the direction of Tsunade's house.

* * *

"DAMMIT! TURN IT OFF! NOOO! I SAID OFF! OFFF!" screeched Tsunade. She grabbed a frying pan and whacked the stove repeatedly until it shut off. Then she advanced on Sasuke. "What. Part. Of. Off. Don't. You. Understand?" she drawled out. Sasuke blinked, and shrugged. 

"Whatever," he said, shrugging off the woman's threat. An anime vein appeared on Tsunade's head as she smacked Sasuke with the frying pan.

"LEARN -**bang- **SOME -**crack- **RESPECT -**smash-**!"

"Ow! -**crack- **STOP IT! -**double crack- **You Crazy WOMAN! -**crunch-!" **yelped Sasuke as Tsunade killed his head, arms, chest, and other breakable parts of his body.

"Hahahaha!" laughed Sakura as she and Naruto walked into the kitchen, followed by Shikamaru. "That was the best idea I ever had!" Sasuke glared at the western girl while Tsunade struggled not to smile.

"Sakura," scolded the older womam, "that wasn't nice. ...Or funny." The girl hung her head shamefully, before looking up and cracking a smile.

"Yeah. It was hilarious!" The four people who hadn't been whacked with a frying pan burst into laughter. Sasuke, of course, glared. "Anyway, the boys are your problem now, Tsunade. I have to get ready for school," said Sakura. She quickly grabbed a piece of toast and raced up to her room to grab her school books. Naruto and Sasuke stared after her.

"She is unpleasant," scowled Sasuke, rubbing his hand over one of his bruises.

"Yeah," said Naruto. "Good thing she's hot!"

* * *

Sakura stared at the outfits she had out on her bed. _I have journalism after school, so I don't think I'll want this one, _she thought. Sakura tossed her 'Horses R Love' shirt back into her closet and rooted around for a clean shirt, stopping when her hands made contact with her favorite shirt. 

"Perfect!" she exclaimed, exchanging the dirty T-shirt she had on for a nice, crisp and clean red one. A black and broken heart adorned the front, along with the words 'Heartbreaker' in a lovely silver script. She slid on her skinny jeans and PUNKROSE shoes. "Now I'm ready to go."

* * *

"Bye Tsunade!" called Sakura as she walked down the stairs. She was answered with a gruff 'bye' as she dashed through the kitchen, grabbing her back pack, books, and cell phone. Naruto eyed the tight red shirt she had on for obvious reasons, and released a faint growl that caught Sakura's attention. She returned his growl with a glare of her own."Oi! You three behave!" she yelled before running out to meet the bus. 

"Finally!" sighed Sasuke. He sank to the ground in happiness; the bitch was gone, he could relax.

"Pfft." Sasuke looked in the direction of the noise, and was met with Shikamaru, a mocking look on his face.

"What?" asked the Uchiha.

"Oh!" gasped Shikamaru, pretending to be shocked. "Did you think that Sakura was bad?" A nod. "And that now we have the day to do whatever we want?" Another nod. "Well, I guess I can't blame you. I mean, Naruto and I have been here for three months, so we know what to expect," explained Shikamaru, a knowing look behind the lazy face.

"That's right!" chirped Naruto. "Tsunade is way worse!" Sasuke paled dramatically, even for him. "And now, we get to help her work on the ranch, feed and take care of the horses, and-Sasuke?" Naruto and Shikamaru peered over at the fainted boy, wondering what had caused him to pass out like that.

"Was it something I said?" asked Naruto.

* * *

"Temari!" called Sakura as she stumbled into her usual seat next to the blonde. "Hi!" Temari smirked, and poked her in the head. 

"Someone was using to much energy being evil, eh?" said Temari. Sakura blushed sheepishly and nodded. "Guess you got another new delinquent."

"Yeah. This one's a total biatch, though. With a major superiority complex," noted Sakura on an afterthought.

"Sucks to be you," said Temari jokingly. "Dad makes Kankuro handle everything. Gaara's to ...unstable not to go balistic and 'accidently' kill the rejects at my ranch, and according to my dad, either I'd snap and drown one of them, or they'd be to focussed on my awesome body." Temari smiled and flashed Sakura a peace sign, to which Sakura matched it with one of her own.

"Yeah, well. Tsunade's sculpting me to be her successor in all things, so that means I've got to get out the whip and, you know..." her voice trailed off suspiciously, and the two girls laugh.

"I pity the guy that tries to take you down!"

"Amen to that!"

* * *

"D-do all horses f-foam at the mouth l-like that?" stuttered Sasuke. Shikamaru shrugged, returning to brushing the gelding that Sakura had assigned him prior to Sasuke's arrival. Sasuke continued silently freaking out as he approached the stallion. 

Coal black mane, dark brown eyes that seemed to be red in the light, and sharp hooves, this horse could kill. If need be. Sasuke's eyes glanced down to the name plate on the stable door.

"Freddy, huh? Well, you don't seem as tough now, do you?" said Sasuke, feeling much more confident after reading the horses nameplate.

"Sasuke?" called Shikamaru. The Uchiha turned, a smirk plastered on his face.

"Yeah?"

"Freddy's his nickname."

"Hn?!?"

"His real name's Freddy kruger," mumbled Shikamaru. He closed his eyes and covered his ears, waiting for the explosion.

"...WHO NAMES A HORSE AFTER A SLASHER LIKE HIM?!?!?!?"

Naruto sauntered in after Sasuke's little meltdown, a confused look on his face.

"Who named what after a slasher?" he asked stupidly.

"Sasuke just found out the truth behind Freddy's name," stated Shikamaru.

"Oh." Shikamaru plugged his ears again, just waintg for the second shout. "WAIT! HE'S NAMED AFTER A SLASHER?!?!"

* * *

Sakura sneezed. 

"Looks like the boys met Freddy," she smiled.

* * *

"Naruto?" called Shikamaru. 

"Yeah!?" replied/shouted the blonde.

"I don't think Sasuke knows that you don't lock yourself in a stable with a killer horse," stated Shikamaru. Naruto stared blankly for a minute, and then realization dawned on him.

"HOLY SHIT! I'M COMING TEME!"

* * *

"Sakura, either you're catching a really bad cold, or somebody really loves talking about you," commented Temari as Sakura sneezed for the umteenth time. 

"I think Sasuke is swearing about me. he must've locked himself in with Freddy," she said.

"You gave him Freddy?" asked the bewildered blonde.

"What? Freddy's an absolute angel!" said Sakura, shocked that Temari would even think that about Freddy.

"Yeah. When he's with you!"

"Well, shoot."

* * *

"Good thing I got you, huh teme?" wheezed Naruto.

"Yeah," panted Sasuke. He clutched his heart in an attempt to stabilize his pulse. "But someone's gonna pay."

**_And this is where I leave you. I hope you all enjoyed this evil Sasuke chapter. I'm not bashing him, just Sasuke is always so high and mighty, so someone needs to knock him off his high horse. Now, review, and if you want to know when HARP will be updated, visit the bottom of my profile. And now, review!_**


	4. Urgent! Read, or you go to HARP!

**_I_**

****

**_Am_**

****

**_Grounded._**

****

**_Again._**

****

**_I'm sorry guys, but until then I can't update freely. Actually, I shouldn't be on the computer now. So, just grin and bear it, and I'll be back as soon as I can! I repeat, sorry!_**


	5. Chapter 5

_**I, Artsysmiles, have decided to go to court to prove that I so do own Naruto. This will be a recurring disclaimer. Until then, Naruto does not belong to me. That is all.**_

**_Well, I almost gave up on this story. Not permanently, but just until I finished one of my other ones. And then, as if he could sense my western interest failing, my dad rented two four to nine hour long cowboy movies! So the muse cannot escape! And I have produced another chapter!_**

**_Also, part of this chapter might seem like Shika/Saku, but they just have a really, really close friendship. This is entirely Sasu/Saku, with maybe a one sided Naru/Saku._**

Sakura sneezed again, this time sighing and rubbing her nose.

"Oh yeah. There are definitely some people who want to kill me," she grumbled.

* * *

Sakura waved to Temari and began the mile long trek back to Hime Ranch; Temari was going to be dropped off at Insomniac Ranch. Her walk was too dangerous, so the bus always picked and dropped off her and her brothers there. And that is why on most days, Sakura walked home alone.

"God!" she exclaimed after sneezing some more. "I think I get that I'm in trouble now!"

The sun was unbearably hot as Sakura kept walking home, spirits lifting once her ranch came into view. But her jaw dropped when she saw what awaited her arrival.

Freddy had gotten loose.

* * *

"Shit! Shit shit shit shit shit shit!!" cussed Naruto as he chased after the stallion; Sasuke was strapped to the horse's back. Naruto had thought that maybe sticking Sasuke on Freddy's back while grazing would get him some respect from the animal, and...things had not gone as planned. "I am so dead! Sasuke's gonna kill me! Sakura's gonna revive me then kill me! And then her psycho horse is gonna maul me! Shit!"

Shikamaru had already calculated a plan: force the horse towards Sakura-he could see her in the distance-and yank Sasuke off as she controlled the horse. They were almost done the first half of the plan, until Sasuke went all macho and tried reigning Freddy in. Thus resulting in Naruto cussing like a madman as he sprinted after the horse and boy.

"DOBE! GET ME OFF OF HERE!" yelled Sasuke, clinging desperately to Freddy's coal black mane. Sweat was trickling down his brow as the horse galloped on the range, nearing a very familiar shape. _Sakura! Shit! I'm so screwed!_

"OMIGOD!" yelled the pink haired teen as she started running towards Sasuke and Freddy. "Come towards me!" As if by some miracle, Sasuke managed to steer the horse towards Sakura, slowing once Freddy recognized the shouting person.

Sasuke hopped off as Freddy slowed to a stop. He muttered a quiet 'hn', brushing some dirt off of his T-shirt.

"Thank kami you're ok!" yelled Sakura as she ran toward him, arms outstretched. _Oh, who am I to argue with a scary woman. _Sasuke opened his arms as well, anticipating the hug. "I was so worried!" cried Sakura as she flung her arms around Freddy's neck. "Don't scare me like that again." Freddy gave a soft nicker, ready for Sakura to hop onto his back. She did, and was about to ride away when Sasuke grabbed her wrist.

"Don't I get a ride?" he asked. She looked puzzled for a moment, then realization dawned on her.

"Oh! No," Sakura said, cooing quietly to her horse.

"What! Why not?" exclaimed Sasuke. "I'm not walking that entire way back!"

"I do a longer walk every day. And while it was my fault for forgetting what a monster my baby here can be to strangers, once you discovered he was dangerous, you should have stayed away," stated Sakura. "I'll make Freddy walk slowly, but you'll have to keep up."

"Please can I have a ride?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"Ugh. Fine."

"Really?"

"No."

Sasuke frowned, but said nothing. Like us all, he didn't want to fight a losing battle.

* * *

Sakura locked Freddy in his stall before turning to walk out of the barn and change out of her school clothes. She had barely made it five steps out of it when her back hit the wooden wall of the barn, pale hands on either side of her face. She rose her pink haired head to stare straight into Sasuke's dark, onyx eyes.

"Can I help you?" she drawled, her faint country accent appearing as she spoke. Sasuke remainded silent, but his face now possessed a glare. "If not, then I'm going to go change." She slid down to the ground and rose up on the other side of Sasuke's arms, only to be trapped again by said arms.

"Why did you pair me up with your psycho horse?" he asked. Sakura's green eyes widened as she gasped.

"It speaks!" Her mouth curled up into a mocking smile as Sasuke hung his head, clearly annoyed at her mockery.

"Hn," he growled. "Answer the damn question."

"Like I already told Temari, I forgot what a pain Freddy can be to new people, boys, adults, boys, dogs, boys, bad people, and did I mention boys?" said Sakura, still smiling. Sasuke's left eye twitched.

"You _forgot_?" he asked, dumbfounded.

"Uh, yeah. Is that so hard to believe?" she asked. Sasuke opened his mouth, closed it, opened it again, and then closed it as he saw the conversation going nowhere. "Well," her nice tone disappeared as she stared him in the eye, "I have to change. So, if you would please release me, we can begin our H.A.R.P. lesson."

Sasuke complied, the two glared at each other, and Sakura marched away.

* * *

Sakura walked out of the barn, leading Freddy, a more docile mare named Stranger, named after the man who killed many teenage girls, and Sasuke. Stranger was Sasuke's horse to ride; Shika was already on the gelding Jason, named after the famed masked murderer, and Naruto rode another mare called Bonnie, like the others, she was named after a famed thieving murderer.

Freddy, as we already know, is a tall, coal black stallion with red/brown eyes. Stranger, while being a calm mare, can still act up if need be. With her gentle brown eyes, short stature, and palomino coat, it makes you wonder why she's named after a murderer. The same goes for the gelding, Jason. Jason has a soft, grey coat, and dark, black eyes. Unlike the rebellious Freddy or docile Stranger, Jason is a combination of both, height and behavior included, depending on whose handling him. And finally Bonnie, the mare Naruto found himself on. While Freddy was born and raised on Hime Ranch, and Jason and Stranger are siblings sold from the Hebi Breeders-run and owned by Orochimaru, Bonnie was born a wild filly, out of a wild mare by a wild stallion. Her buckskin coat makes her the envy of many horse owners. And though she is also a wild horse like her companions, none of the three can compare to Freddy.

Sakura stopped in front of the corral, and began to instruct their first real H.A.R.P. lesson. She quick handed Sasuke Stranger's reigns, and mounted Freddy as an example for the lesson.

"Now, Shika and Naruto have already mastered mounting and dismounting, but you need to practice. Naruto," said the girl, missing the way the blonde blushed when she said his name, "show Sasuke how to properly dismount from a horse."

"Alright," said Naruto as he swung a leg over the saddle, placed his hands on said saddle, and gently landed on the ground. "And that's why I'm the best!" Sakura rolled her eyes, but nonetheless admitted that Naruto was correct.

"Now, you saw me mount my beautiful, wonderful, amazing, , gorgeous, obedient, angelic-"

"We get it," interrupted Sasuke.

Sakura frowned, but shortened her speech anyway. "-horse Freddy during our...prior meeting." Insert a glare at everyone but Shikamaru. "Now, mount Stranger." Sasuke mounted, smirking at his triumph. "Wrong way," said Sakura, covering her mouth in order to stifle a giggle.

"Hn."

"Now that Sasuke has fixed his mount, let's go out on the range!" said Sakura, smiling at the idea of galloping out on the terrain.

"Yeah! Let's go!" cheered Naruto, eager at anything the woman suggested.

* * *

The four riders trotted out on the range, Sakura in front, Shika next to her, and Naruto and Sasuke following the two. Naruto was content to talk about his 'Sakura-chan', and Sasuke was fine with planning an escape/murder, whichever worked out better.

"And I mean, did you see the way she handled Freddy? Wo-ow!" sighed Naruto.

"Hn," muttered Sasuke, still annoyed at said female.

"Geeze, Sasuke. Why can't you just admit she's damn hot!" exclaimed Naruto. "I mean, come on. Look at that." He pointed his index finger at Sakura's...lower body sitting on the brown leather saddle. "You know you want to smack that."

There was a slight movement of Sasuke's face, one could describe it as a facial tick. "There is no way I will ever say that."

"Well, that's a relief. I wouldn't want your heart crushed when you found out she's totally my girlfriend," Naruto said simply. He continued insulting Sasuke until Sakura's melodious laughter floated back to them.

"Haha! Shika, you are so funny!" laughed Sakura as she gently shoved Shika on top of Jason. The gelding bucked slightly, but calmed down as Shikamaru rubbed the grey's coat.

"Hey, dobe, looks like you've got some competition," joked Sasuke.

"Yeah," grumbled the blonde. Sasuke smirked at his discomfort.

But, then why did he feel so weird?

* * *

"Now, out here on the range, you need to always be aware of your surroundings," she said, staring each and everyone one of the boys in the eye, lingering on Shikamaru as the two shared a secret look. "And by being aware, I mean no shrieking like a girl every time we see a mustang, cougar, or rabbit. Understand?" The boys nodded, especially Naruto.

"Question!" said Naruto, startling Bonnie who bucked into Stranger who threw Sasuke onto Sakura which caused Freddy to rear and ram into Jason, knocking Shikamaru to the ground.

"Ow!" groaned Shikamaru.

"Get. Off. Me," growled Sakura, her glare rivaling that of Sasuke's. She shoved him to the ground and tried to calm down the prancing Freddy. "Shh, Freddy. Shh." She rubbed her hand on his neck as the horse calmed down; she grabbed the reigns and steered Freddy away from Sasuke so as to not be responsible for any accidents that might have occurred.

"Sorry," mumbled Naruto sheepishly. Shikamaru glared, Sasuke made violent hand motions on top of Stranger's back, and Sakura planted a kiss on Freddy's neck before sending him a reprimanding look.

"Be more careful, Naruto. Now, what was your question?" she asked.

"Right. With the rabbit thing, you were hinting about me, right?" asked Naruto.

"Yes. Yes I was."

"Oh. Ok."

**_And I'm gonna end it there. I hope you all liked this chapter, and I'll be sure to update soon. After I update Chemistry, but possibly before I update Celestial Maiden. And Commercials will be up right after this! Now, please review!_**


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